The present invention relates to a process for preparing pressed tofu. More particularly, the present invention relates to an industrially favorable process for preparing pressed tofu having a compact texture, springiness, long term storability and good taste.
Pressed tofu is also referred to as "kan tofu" or "tofu-kan" in China. Pressed tofu is suitable as an ingredient for various pan fried foods due to its shape retention property and it may be widely used in a wide variety of cooked foods due to its superior processing characteristics. In addition, its palatability fits in with modern tastes and even in Japan the demand for it, therefore, is becoming greater and greater.
However, since demand for pressed tofu has been very low, heretofore, the scale of its production has been small and very close to manual preparation. Therefore, no process for preparing pressed tofu of high quality, which is industrially favorable or suitable for bulk production, has been established.
The conventional processes require a extremely prolonged compression process and further it is necessary to add a great amount of common salt to the tofu for the purpose of making it harder and this merely results in the reduction of the processing characteristics of the pressed tofu. In the conventional processes, the storability of the finished product has been left out of consideration.